Young refugees and asylum seekers often arrive in Newport having experienced conflict and trauma in their homelands, so when the Sanctuary project engages them in sport and physical activity, it's to achieve two very simple outcomes: to get them “sweaty and smiling”.

The Sanctuary project is run by The Gap Wales, a Newport charity which aims to fill the gaps where existing services and charities are not meeting local need. The Sanctuary welcomes and supports refugees and asylum seekers who arrive in the city, working alongside social services and other agencies to help them with accommodation, education and employment. The aim is to give them a sense of belonging, community and safety after they’ve fled from war and persecution.

The project has partnered with Newport Live to run sporting sessions to engage children and young people who are trying to find their feet in a new country, often with without any parental support. Many don’t speak English, have little or no money, feel disconnected, can struggle with poor mental health and are susceptible to being exploited.

The Sanctuary, in partnership with Newport Live, have joined Levelling the Playing Field as a local delivery partner. The organisations share our common goals:

• To increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport and physical activity
• To prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from being involved in the Criminal Justice System

The Sanctuary’s two designated Levelling the Playing Field sessions are already up and running: one is a football session for young adult asylum seekers, the other is a multi-sports session (mainly badminton and table tennis) for a group of 12 displaced Vietnamese boys and girls.

As well as the Levelling the Playing Field sessions, The Sanctuary organises community bike rides, a badminton session, English classes, an allotment where they grow vegetables, a bike refurbishment project and several other initiatives.

All these activities are essentially vehicles for bringing people together, developing trusting relationships with staff and mentors, improving their wellbeing and ensuring that they steer clear of crime (to which refugees and asylum seekers can be vulnerable).

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“Wellbeing is a key strand for us,” says The Gap Wales manager Mark Seymour. “These young people are very, very isolated; they have no connections or support structures, little money and face language and cultural difficulties. Something as simple as a safe environment to play football for free is hugely important.

“The pandemic has affected everyone’s mental health, and asylum seekers’ wellbeing has plunged. There’s a lot of sluggishness and no desire beyond staying in their accommodation, eating and sleeping. Being outside, moving your body and being with other people are really key.

“What we do is preventative and I think what grassroots community groups and partnerships like us provide is crucial. We give young people access to sport amongst their peers, with good role models and trusted adults in a community setting, giving them a sense of belonging and security which will help to prevent them ending up in the Criminal Justice System.

“That’s why I think it’s brilliant what Levelling the Playing Field are doing across the country to advocate for projects like ours. If we spent more on funding young people’s activities, society would reap the benefits. We don't want police chasing around dealing with anti-social behaviour by young people who in many cases are victims themselves; we want young people with youth workers and the police chasing proper criminals.”

Ethnically diverse children from disadvantaged backgrounds can face a number of barriers to participating in sport and physical activity, such as lack of parental support, lack of money and racism (conscious or unconscious). Refugees and asylum seekers face those issues too, but in addition must overcome the language barrier and the total lack of local connections. That’s why the Sanctuary’s work is so vital.

“A local young person might start playing football on a Sunday morning because his cousin’s mate runs the team, for example,” explains Mark. “Someone just arriving in the city has none of those relationships to get them started. It’s very often my name that goes down as their next of kin on the form, as they have no family members in the UK, and some of them aren’t in touch with family members anywhere.”

Through his years of experience, Mark recognises the age bracket of 16-21 as a crucial period for refugees and asylum seekers. Social services support reduces when they hit 18, making it what Mark calls a “make or break period”.

“If, at that stage, they get their education or employment aspirations fulfilled and are settled in secure accommodation, it sets the tone for the rest of their life, so they are pretty unlikely to end up homeless or taking part in crime,” he states.

“We are the doorkeepers who can provide safety. We’re known and trusted. These young people are very vulnerable but we can help them avoid the pitfalls in a number of ways – and sport plays a crucial role in us achieving that.”